Please explain dairy allergy versus intolerance

[Kamie]

DS has been sensitive to dairy since he was a newborn. He recently had a scratch and blood tests which was all negative for dairy allergy (as well as soy, corn, peanuts, wheat). I was told to re-start dairy. He did okay at first and then got purple eyes and ring around his bottom. I didn't think this type of reaction occured with an "intolerance" which is what the doctor said it is. If it is an intolerance is it an intolerance to lactose and if so why would breastmilk be okay b/c I thought it was loaded with lactose. Is their really a differance b/w an intolerance and an allergy?

[Chinese Pistache]

Allergy tests aren't 100%. Our allergist says that observation trumps test results always. If you're baby acts allergic, then he probably is.

ETA: Lactose intolerance is an inability to digest the sugars (lactose) in milk. Dairy allergy is to the proteins in milk (casein/whey). Some people don't fit a strict category. They may get stomach aches from straight milk and ice cream but do fine with cheese and yogurt. Also, some people can tolerate a little dairy, but too much causes an overproduction of phlegm. With babies and toddlers, I think it's best to remove the offending food until their immune system and gut are more mature. After that, you can see what their tolerance is. If you're not already giving probiotics and digestive enzymes, now would be a good time to start.

[Kamie]

Originally Posted by Chinese Pistache

If you're not already giving probiotics and digestive enzymes, now would be a good time to start.

I do have some non-dairy pro-biotoics which I just started today. What are digetive enzymes and why are probiotics and enzymes good when you have food allegies? Thanks. Kamie

[Chinese Pistache]

The leaky gut theory of allergy development says that when a person has a permeable gut, undigested proteins are able to leak out into the bloodstream where they are attacked as foreign invaders (like any other allergy, the body produces a histamine response to a normally harmless substance). The probiotics (specifically bifidus) will help to seal the gut and the digestive enzymes will help to break down foods so they are digested properly instead of leaking out. Part of the theory says that moms with leaky guts themselves contribute to allergy development in their children during breastfeeding because whole proteins are leaking into their milk, where they get into baby who naturally has a permeable gut (all babies do, over time, they are supposed to seal up, aided by the bacteria they swallow as they come through the birth canal and then, with the aid of breastmilk. Sorry for the huge run-on sentences!)

Some things that inhibit the proper health of a baby's gut (and possibly lead to allergies) are antibiotics (given to GBS pos and C-section moms) and C-sections, in which baby hasn't swallowed the bacteria because it didn't come through the birth canal. Thus, it's gut is not properly colonized. You'll find a lot more information in the Healing the Gut sticky at the top of this forum